Sunday, April 29, 2012

Want to get started/return to running?

Here's the Cliff Notes version:

Download a coach- this is nicked off http://www.c25k.com/c25k_metric.htmlThis plan works and you don't get injured because you're physically developing your capacity as you go. Do every day as specified, and eventually, you'll notice that it gets easier and easier. By week seven I just ran and by week ten I was up to ten km runs. It helped a lot. I used the blackberry app which was free and gave voice prompts for when to walk and when to jog.

Couch to 5k Metric Version

Week

Workout 1

Workout 2

Workout 3

1

Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes.

Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes.

Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes.

2

Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 90 seconds of jogging and two minutes of walking for a total of 20 minutes.

Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 90 seconds of jogging and two minutes of walking for a total of 20 minutes.

Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 90 seconds of jogging and two minutes of walking for a total of 20 minutes.

3

Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then do two repetitions of the following:

Jog 200 metres(or 90 seconds)

Walk 200 metres(or 90 seconds)

Jog 400 metres(or 3 minutes)

Walk 400 metres(or three minutes)

Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then do two repetitions of the following:

Jog 200 metres(or 90 seconds)

Walk 200 metres(or 90 seconds)

Jog 400 metres(or 3 minutes)

Walk 400 metres(or three minutes)

Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then do two repetitions of the following:

Use your rest days- only run three days a week to start with- your body needs the time off to re-configure itself.

Track your progress. I use www.runkeeper.com and it keeps me motivated, especially when I look back on the early runs which were slow and short! Runkeeper allows you to set goals and will give you feedback towards your progress.

EAT! I added carbs back into my diet and still lost 5kg, pasta, potatoes and bananas, chocolate, you name it. Enjoy the freedom of being able to eat without counting calories- you'll need the energy.

Supplements: Add a good joint supplement to your daily multivitamins.

Eina: Make sure you have deep heat or arnica ice at hand and use liberally.

USN: The USN product range has epic products for weight loss and to avoid dehydration. I used the Phedracut and Cyto HP products in conjunction with the diet fuel shake. I am not sure if the effect was placebo or not, but it worked. The products give you a bit more vooma.

Running clubs: Find a club that you can join once your fitness levels have returned to where they were. A social time trial once a week just pumps up your motivation levels.

Finally, runner's world has a strong online presence and has great race calendars. Pick a race ten weeks from now. Diarise it, tell your friends and start today, not tomorrow. Find a time of the day which can't be easily affected by unforeseen circumstances and stick to it. On running mornings I wake up before the alarm and my body wants to go- this has been the most magical part of what I thought would be torture.